The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) recently released a clean energy implementation plan.

The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) recently released a clean energy implementation plan.<br /><br /> Officials from the DOD said this month that the organization is moving forward with its ambitious plans to increasingly invest in the research and development of <a href="http://www.sustainablebusiness.com/index.cfm/go/news.display/id/23501?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+SBGeneralNews+%28SustainableBusiness.com+General+News%29">sustainable energy</a> and smart grid technologies. The DOD's new "Operational Energy Strategy Implementation Plan," which was officially released last week, will ultimately transform the agency's energy usage.<br /><br /> DOD officials said that the military has been firmly committed to the development and increasing use of renewable energy systems and <a href="http://www.smartgridnews.com/artman/publish/Technologies_DG_Renewables/DoD-boosts-commitment-to-renewables-smart-grid-technologies-4577.html/?fpt">alternative energy</a> technologies over the past few decades. The military has been at the forefront in the global push toward a greater use of sustainable energy systems.<br /><br /> The DOD has more and more viewed its adoption of such clean energy systems and technologies as an essential component in its work to improve troop safety and national security measures. Soldiers stationed throughout the Middle East and elsewhere across the globe are routinely tasked with transporting large stocks of oil and other energy supplies, making their convoys vulnerable to attacks from foreign militants.<br /><br /> However, the military's expanded use of solar wafer and wind turbine technologies in its foreign deployments has helped lessen the need for traditional energy sources such as oil and natural gas. Installing solar panel systems, among other kinds of renewable energy systems, has helped reduce fatalities and has helped reduce the military's overall energy expenditures.<br /><br /> Amid ongoing budget cuts in Washington, the military is under pressure from lawmakers to slash its annual operating budget. Its new plan calls for a greater emphasis on energy efficiency and sustainable energy, which will help cut U.S. energy demand and aid the military in meeting its ambitious alternative energy goals over the coming decades. The military's push away from fossil fuels and toward clean energy will improve its effectiveness both abroad and domestically, according to Navy Secretary Raymond Mabus.<br /><br /> "Reliance on fossil fuels is simply too much of a vulnerability for a military organization to [have]," he said in a statement.A number of military organizations have significantly increased their use of sustainable energy technologies over the past few years, with many continuing to employ such systems. The Air Force, for example, plans to use biofuels for 50 percent of its domestic aviation needs by 2016, while the DOD as a whole is endeavoring to derive 25 percent of its total energy demand from renewable sources by 2025.<br /><br />